"G-Great."
"Himeno-senpai, we can get out."
A bizarre smile surfaced on Kobeni's face as she excitedly grabbed Himeno's arm.
"Kobeni, what are you talking about?"
"Himeno-senpai, didn't you hear it just now? As long as we kill Denji and offer his heart, we can get out."
"Kobeni, you're crazy! Denji is our comrade!" Arai was the first to scold her.
"Isn't it good to sacrifice one person to save everyone?" Kobeni didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt; instead, she felt her suggestion was completely reasonable.
Actually, Kobeni wasn't the only one thinking this.
The others had thought about it too.
It just wasn't the right time.
Unless they were driven to absolute desperation.
Otherwise, no one would agree to a devil's demands.
"If it really comes down to having to kill Denji, I will draw my sword and save everyone," Aki Hayakawa said calmly.
Even though he looked down on Denji deep inside.
If someone had to pay the price.
Aki would rather choose to live a few years less than watch another comrade fall in front of him again.
"Aki, don't draw your sword. You already don't have long to live."
Himeno's heart clenched.
"I won't use that move unless it's a last resort."
"If it really comes to that, we'll just offer Denji up."
"Huh?" Denji froze. "Didn't we agree to wait for my master to come back? If my master comes back and sees that you guys killed me, he definitely won't let you off."
"Denji, I'm just joking with you. We still have food for now, so we can hold out for a bit."
While they were talking, Kobeni had completely disappeared.
Creak!!
At that moment, a room door opened.
Kobeni walked out with her hands behind her back.
Her face was tense as she inched toward Denji step by step.
"Kobeni, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Himeno-senpai. It's just one rookie. We'll be out of here very soon."
Kobeni's body gradually closed in on Denji.
When she was five steps away, she suddenly lunged forward.
Revealing a kitchen knife in her hand, she slashed violently at Denji.
"Stop right there!!!"
Himeno quickly raised her hand, controlling the Ghost Devil to punch Kobeni square in the face.
Thud!!
Kobeni hit the back of her head on the floor and was instantly knocked out cold.
"Hurry up and hand over Denji's heart, or none of you will leave here alive."
Not far away, the Eternity Devil began to slowly writhe its massive body.
Seeing that things were going south, the group dragged Kobeni away and retreated into a room.
After a long period of time.
Even the usually calm Arai couldn't sit still anymore. "Himeno-senpai, how long are we supposed to wait?"
"Wait for Arata to come back. We will definitely be saved." Himeno looked up at the motionless Arata on the bed, pinning all her hopes on him.
"Wait for him to come back!!" Arai stood up, walked over to Arata, and shook him violently. "He's already dead! Rather than waiting for a dead man to resurrect, we're better off handing Denji over. Once we escape, we can figure out a way to get Denji's heart back."
"Are you kidding me?! If I lose my heart, how am I supposed to live?!" Denji retorted.
"Then do you have a better idea? Or do you want all of us to die right alongside you?"
Denji was stumped.
He really didn't have a better idea.
But right now, he didn't want to die.
Because he had a master who always took care of him.
He also had his beloved Miss Makima, along with a hard-earned job and comrades.
So many bonds made Denji cherish his time alive even more now.
"Alright, stop arguing." Seeing Denji speechless, Aki Hayakawa called out. "We are Devil Hunters. The only things we kill are devils. We do not raise our hands against our own comrades. Arai, you need to remember that."
With the argument over.
Arai could only go back to sitting on the floor, sulking.
Grumble~
Just then, Denji's stomach let out an uncooperative growl.
"Forget it, let's just eat first," Himeno said.
"Don't let Denji eat," Arai didn't forget to keep suppressing Denji.
"Fine, I won't eat. You guys go ahead and eat."
"Everyone has to eat." Himeno turned around to grab the backpack, only to find the space behind her completely empty. "Where's the backpack?"
"The backpack? I think I saw Power holding it earlier."
"Where's Power?"
"While we were talking, I saw her go into the bathroom."
"Oh no." Himeno quickly got up and dashed toward the bathroom.
After kicking the bathroom door open, she saw Power with chocolate smeared around her mouth, holding half a block of dry instant ramen noodles in her hand.
"Power, you..."
"The great me didn't do anything!!" Power hurriedly hid the ramen behind her back.
"Hand it over right now!!" Himeno snatched the backpack away. When she opened it, there was absolutely nothing left inside. The only edible thing remaining was the half-block of ramen in Power's hand.
"That was food for six people."
"Denji made the great me do it!" Seeing everyone's dark expressions, Power immediately passed the buck.
This drew Denji's ire. He waved his fist and warned, "Don't frame me!!!"
"We're doomed now! All the food is gone!" Arai screamed, clutching his head with both hands.
"What are you doing!!!"
Sudden sounds of a struggle erupted from the other side.
The very first thing Kobeni did after waking up was make another attempt on Denji's life.
"Kobeni, stop it!!!"
Himeno hurriedly stepped in to restrain her.
"It's all your fault! As long as you die, we'll all be saved!"
Kobeni struggled relentlessly, trying to break free from the restraint.
Looking at the breaking down Kobeni and the panicked Arai, Denji felt truly helpless. "I'll go throw my life away, but not right now."
Boom!!!
Right then, the room was violently smashed open by the Eternity Devil.
Its bloated, massive limbs slowly crawled inside.
"Feel the terror, feel the fear. Because you are never getting out of here."
"Run!" Himeno shouted. The group quickly threw open the window and jumped into the adjacent room.
"Oh crap, my master is still on the bed." Just as Denji was about to jump through the window, he suddenly remembered Arata was still there.
Without a second thought, he turned around and ran back toward Arata.
He scooped Arata up and headed back to the windowsill.
But at that moment, Arai, standing on the opposite side of the window, quickly moved to the frame. His face carried a hint of guilt. "I'm sorry, Denji. You're the only one who has to die for everyone else to live."
Saying that, he slammed the window shut and pressed his entire body against it with all his might.
Bang bang bang!! "Open the window!!"
Denji hammered violently against the glass, the commotion catching Aki Hayakawa's attention.
"Arai, what are you doing!!"
"As long as Denji dies, we can get out of here!!"
"Move aside." Aki quickly drew his sword. Looking panicked, Arai immediately stepped out of the way.
Slash!!
The window was cleaved in half with a single strike.
A figure flew from the other side into the room.
"It's Arata!" Himeno said, seeing the person who had landed. "Where's Denji?"
"Denji!!" Aki shouted out the window.
At this moment, Denji was already tightly coiled by the Eternity Devil's tentacles.
Yet he didn't forget to yell, "Take my master and get out of here! I'll stay behind!"